POLITICO interview: Gov. Hickenlooper

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, a former Denver mayor, frames himself as a pro-business and pro-environment moderate. He sat down with POLITICO during last weekend’s National Governors Association meeting to talk about the environment, immigration and education.

Below is an edited version of the half-hour conservation:

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Q: Much was made after 2006 and 2008 about the shifting political fortunes in the Mountain West. Where do you see that now?

A: In the West, I think we’re seeing some new alliances that are perhaps different. You’ve got elected officials who are pro-business and entrepreneurial but also pro-environment. I don’t think they’re mutually exclusive. I think we can change the culture and be strongly pro-business and yet recognize that we’re going to hold ourselves to the highest environmental standards.

… If you look at the Rocky Mountain West, so many people have moved there from so many different parts of the country for the quality of life that — A — they’re willing to invest to protect the quality of life, but — B — they’re also open to different ideas because they’re new to the place. They’re not stuck in what their parents or grandparents thought.

Q: After the Wisconsin stand-off, do you see any fundamental change in the relationship between states and public workers?

A: I don’t want to criticize other governors or other states. When I was in the restaurant business, a couple times we took over a restaurant that was struggling and the first thing you do is you go deal with those workers.

You go to all the employees and you say, “I can’t fix this without your help. You are going to be a major part of the solution. Right now the business is losing all this money. I can’t give you a raise. But I will commit to you that I will, as soon I can, give you a raise. And I will guarantee that I will listen to you. I’ll treat you fairly and with respect.”

Every quarter I’d call all my restaurants together, all my employees together, and the first thing I’d say is, “Life is not fair. Life never has been fair. Life never will be fair. This company will do everything it can to be as fair as humanly possible. If you have a problem, talk to your boss. If they don’t satisfy you, talk to their boss. If they don’t take care of it, here’s my phone number.” Every employee had my home phone number so I could be directly accountable.

What we’ve done in Colorado is I’ve already started going out to every one of our places where our employees are and I’m saying, “Listen, this is going to be the third year in a row that you’re not going to get a raise. Not only that, but we’re going to take 2 percent of what the state had been paying into your pension and you’re going to essentially take a 2 percent pay cut. Last year it was a 2.5 percent cut. So, in two years, that’s a 4.5 percent pay cut. And I just don’t know any other way to balance the budget. We’re cutting education. We’re cutting health care. We’re cutting everything.” What I tell them is, “Here’s the budget. If you guys have got any ideas, help me. I can’t find the synergies.”